Gas-engine starter.



No. 787,341. PATENTED APR. 11. 1905. R. A. MITCHELL & L. L. LEWIS.

GAS ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 29, 1903.

b v n &

REUBEN A. MITCHELL ANI) LESTER L. LE\\'[S,

Patented April 11, 1905.

Genet),

E ()l L CITY,

PENNSYLVA NlA.

GAS-ENGINE STARTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,341, dated April11, 1905.

Application filed October 29,1903. Serial N0.179,075.

Be it known that we, REUBEX A. MrrennLL and lncs'rnn L. Lewis, citizensof the United States, residing at ()il City, in the county of Yenangoand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Gas-Engine Starters: and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in gas-engitie-startingapparatus, and particularly to means for controlling the admission ofpressure from a source of supply to an engine-cylinder.

The object in view is the provision of means for supplying a number ofsuccessive charges to a gas-engine cylinder controlled by a singlevalve.

\Yith this and further obj ects in view thein v veution consists incertain novel construetions. combinations, and arrangements of parts, aswill be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawing the figure represents a longitudinalvertical central section through a mechanism embodying the features ofthe present invention, parts being illustrated in elevation.

in the present art it is common to start a gas-engine by extrinsicmechanical power, and it has been proposed to impart the initial stroketo the piston of a gas-engine bysupplying an expansive charge to thepiston-head:

but in practice we find that a single stroke of cates any suitablegas-engine cylinder provided with a piston 2. A tube 3 discharges intothe explosion end of the cylinder 1, and an ordinary hand-operatedplug-valve -'i is interposed in the length of tube 3 for control lingthe admission of pressure therethrtnigh. An exlntust-valve 5 is alsointerposed in the length of the tube 5, and the casing of said valve isprovided with an exhaust-port 6, adapted to be thrown intoconununication with the bore of pipe I; by means of the passage T,formed in said valve 5, and such communication being established whenthe valve is rotated to the position indicated in dotted lines. Acentral passage 8 is formed in valve 5 for normally establishingcommunication between the sections of pipe 3. The section of pipe 3beyond the valve 5 communicates with the valve-casing t), which casingis also in communication with tubes 10, 11, and 12, communicating withreceptacles or tanks 13, 14, and 15, respectively. A valve 16 isrotatably mounted within the casing 9 and is pro vided with a centralstraight passage 17 and side passages l8 18, whereby the pipes 10, 1],and 1.2 may be successively thrown into communication with pipe 3 byrotation of the valve 16.

The receptacles or tanks 13, 1 t, and in practice are supplied with airor other gas under pressure and are provided with suitable heating meansof any preferred type. \Ye have illustrated as a means for rapidlyheating the said receptacles a central tube It) in each of the tanksextending longitudinally thereof and surrounding a gas-supply pipe 20,apertured, as at 21, and leading to a common gas-supply pipe 22.

In operation after the tanks 13, H, and 15 have been charged with asupply of compressed air say under a pressure of one hundred poundstbecut-oil valve 13 in feed-pipe 13 is closed, thereby sealing said tanks13 H; 15, after which the gas is turned on through pipe 22, and the gasdischarged through the burners formed of pipes 20 is ignited for heatingthe tubes 19' and the air within the surrounding receptacles. The

heat may be regulated as desired; but we prefer to raise the tenmeratureol the contained atmosphere suthciently tor increasing the pressureapproximately seven times, whereby a charge passing from one of thetanks into the cylinder 1 will be effective in throwing the piston 2.When the desired pressure is secured within the tanks 13, 14, and 15,the valves 5 and 9 being in the position indicated in the drawing, thevalve 4 is opened and the air within the tank 13, expanding, passes outthrough tube 10, upper passage 18, and tube 3 into the cylinder 1,throwing the piston 2, and as soon as the said piston reaches the limitof its receding movement the valve 5 is moved to the position indicatedin dotted lines, whereupon the charge within the cylinder 1 is exhaustedand the piston 2 permitted to return to its former position. As soon asthe piston 2 has reached the limit of its return stroke the valve 5 isrotated to its former position, as indicated in full lines in thedrawing, and the'valve 9 is rotated for bringing the passage 17 intoregister with pipes 11 and 3, and a second charge is thus admitted tothe cylinder 1, which throws the piston, as above described, and thecharge may be exhausted in a similar manner to the exhausting of thefirst charge, whereupon the valve 9 is rotated for bringing the lowerpassage 18 in position-for establishing communication between pipes 3and 12, and a third charge thus admitted to the cylinder 1.

With the high degree of pressure which we secure with our tanks it maynot be necessary each time the engine is started to utilize all of thecharges, and, in fact, a single charge may be sufficient forsuccessfully starting the gas-engine; but with the arrangement of theelements disclosed it will be seen that a failure to start the engine ishardly possible.

It is obvious that when a charge has been shot from one of the tanks 1314 15 to the engine-cylinder the pressure in such tank is substantiallyexhausted, owing to the relatively small size of said tanks comparedwith the capacity of the engine-cylinder. The device illustrated in thedrawing is meant to be operative in such manner that only a single shotor charge of compressed and heated air from a tank may be available. Wedo not intend that a tank as either of the three illustrated in thedrawing may be used for a succession of charges or shots to theenginecylinder without recharging and reheating the compressed air inthe tank, but prefer that the tanks be charged after each shot, so thatfull advantage may be given by reason of the great increase in pressureowing to the rise-of temperature of the compressed air in the tank.

It will be seen by reference to the drawing that we have provided meansfor heating the atmosphere within the tanks 13, 14, and 15, and suchheating means is so arranged as to readily produce an excessively hightemperature or superheated condition of the contained its pressuremultiplied to a maximum degree. The burners 20 are so arranged withinthe respective tanks 13, 14, and 15 that the heat produced thereby isdiffused approximately evenly throughout the respective tanks, and thecontained air has all of its parts substantially simultaneously heated,whereby a maximum amount of pressure may be obtained in a minimum time.The heated compressed air is admitted to the explosive-engine oylin der,as above set forth, and while we have illustrated and described theemployment of a plurality of tanks we find that by the su perheating ofthe air sufficient pressure may be obtained for imparting suflicientforce to the piston in the cylinder for effectually starting the engineby a single discharge from one of the tanks.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a gas-engine starter, the combination with a gas-engine, of aplurality of tanks, a tube communicating with said gas-engine, anexhaust-valve interposed in said tube, tubing extending from said tanksand com municating with said tube, and a valve con trollingcommunication between said tubing and the first-mentioned tube.

2. In a gas-engine starter, the combination with a gas-engine, of aplurality of tanks, a valve-casing, tubes extending from said tanks tosaid casing, a pipe leading from said casing to saidvengine, and meanswithin said valve casing for successively establishing communicationbetween said tubes and pipe.

3. In a gas-engine starter, the combination with a gas-engine, of aplurality of tanks,

a pipe communicating with said engine, tubing establishing communicationbetween said tanks and pipe, a multiple-passage valve controllingcommunication between said tubing and pipe, and exhaust mechanisminterposed in the length of said pipe.

4. In a gas-engine starter, the combination with a gas-engine, of acompressed-air tank, means of communication between said tank andengine, a pipe extending longitudinally through the interior of saidtank, and an apertured gas-supply pipe extending into said pipe.

5. In a gas-engine starter, the combination with a gas-engine, aplurality of tanks, a tube communicating with said gas-engine, a tubeextending from each of said tanks and communicating with saidfirst-mentioned tube, and a valve controlling said communication t'ormedwith a plurality of passages adapted to be brought into line with thefirst mentioned tube and with the respective lastmentioned tube.

6. In a gas-engine starter, the combina tion with a gas-engine, of aplurality of sources of pressure-supply, a valve-casing, a

compressed air, Wherebythe said air will have 1 pipe leading from eachof said sources and r l 4. ln a gas-engine starter, the combmation witha gas-engine, ot a plurality otj sources of pressure-supply, a coupling,a. conduit leading from each of said sources of L pressure-supply tosaid coupling, a conduit extending from said coupling to said cylinder,and means within said coupling for establishing communication betweensaid lastmentioned conduit and said first-mentioned conduitssuccessively.

a. In a gas-engine starter, the combination with a gas-engine, of aplurality of compressed-air-storage tanks, heating means therel'or. acoupling, a conduit leading from each of said tanks and communicatingwith said coupling, a pipe leading from said coupg ling to saidcylinder, and a valve in said,

coupling formed with a plurality of passages designed to registersuccessively with said conduits for establishing communicat-ion betweensaid pipe and the conduits.

U. in an explosiveengine starter, the combination with anexplosive-engine. of a compressed-air reservoir in connnunication withsaid engine, and means for heating the air within said reservoir.

10. ln an explosive-engine starter, the combination with anexplosive-engine, of a (H)l1l[)l'6$St(l-Zlll' reservoir, means ofcommunication between said reservoir and engine, means for heating theair within said reservoir. and means tor controlling the discharge ofheated air from said reservoir to said engine.

11. in an explosive-engine starter, the combination with anexplosive-engine, of a compressed-air reservoir of less containingcapacity than that of the cylinder of said engine. means for heating theair within said reservoir. and means for admitting the heated air fromsaid reservoir to said engine.

L2. in an explosive-engine starter, the combination with anexplosive-engine, oi a compressed-air-supply reservoir, means forhealing the supply of air within said reserf voir, and means torintroducing the same,

into the cylinder of said engine for imparting the initial stroke to thepiston of said engine.

13. In an explosive-engine starter, the combination with anexplosive-engine, ol" means for introducing heated, compressed air intosaid engine for imparting the initial stroke to the piston thereof.

H. In an explosive-engine starter, the combination with anexplosive-engine, of a reservoir for containing compressed air, meansfor raising the temperature of said compressed air to a superheatedcondition for multiplying the pressure thereol, and means forintroducing such superheated air to the cylinder of saidtwplosive-engine for imparting the initial stroke to the piston thereof.

1."). In an explosive-engine starter, the combination with anexplosive-engine, ot a relatively small tmmpressed-air tank, means forsuperheating the compressed air therein, and means for introducing thecharge of superheated, compressed air into the cylinder of said enginefor imparting the initial movement to the piston therein.

16. in an explosive-engine starter, the combination with. anexplosive-engine, ot a compressed-air tank, means for heating all partsof the contained air substantially simultaneously for raising the sameto a superheated condition, and means for introducing said superheated,compressed air into the cylinder of said engine for imparting theinitial stroke to the piston within said cylinder.

17. In an explosive-engine starter, the combination with anexplosive-engine, of a compressed-air reservoir, a heating apparatus forraising the temperatureof the air within said reservoir, the combustionof the heating means being supported by oxygen supplied from outsidesaid reservoir, and means for establishing connnunication be tween saidreservoir and engine.

In testimony whereol we hereunto allix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

.R E UB E N A. MITCHELL. LESTE R I J. LEW'lS.

\Vitnesses:

CLYDE C. SIMMONS, J. M. t\loGn.1..

